Printing-press foot or sucker



May 27, 1924.

A. HUNGER KER . Filed Jan. 22, 1925 2 Sheepsf-Sheet A. BUNGER PRINTINGPRESS FOOT OR SUCKER May 27 1924.

Filed Jan. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 form of printing press to show thelocation Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES AUGUST BUNGER; or HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

PRINTING-PRESS FOOT on sUoKEin.

Application filed January 22, 1923. Serial No. 614 314.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST BUNGER, a citizen of the United States,-residing at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing- PressFeet or Suckers; and I do hereby'declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object of the invention is toprovid'e an improved construction ofsuction feet for usevin connection with the'convention'al form ofseparator bar to lift the uppermost sheet from the stock pile 0r rack ofa printing press for engagement by the gripper of the feet frame to becarried forward over the platen, and particularly to provide aconstruction of suction feet or suckers as they are called whereby thevariation or graduation of the suction applied to the feet through thevalve mechanism or the equivalent thereof maybe avoided and also wherebythe substitution of different types 'or constructions of suction feet inoperating on paper of different thicknesses, may be avoided, to the endthat a'single set of S110- tion feet may be used in connection with allthicknesses of paper and cardboard and will operate as effectively inliftin'g a sin-: gle sheet of very thin paper as with the heavier gradeencountered in connection with general work in the printing art and withthis object in view the invention consists in a construction,combination and relation :of parts of which; a preferred embodiment isshown in the accompanying drawings, wherein: i. v

Figure 1 is a sectional view of .a typical perspective vi w the samebeing inthereby of stock 13 for the 'tion reducingbridg ing web appliedto the sucker foot illustrated in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing an intermediate foot,

- Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sucker foot constructedin accordance with my invention and equipped with a suction reducingbridging web adapting the foot for operation upon very" light "paper astissue,

F igu-re 7 is a similar view with the web removed adapting the foot foroperation on a heavier-grade of paper,

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the opening in thesuction tube closed, whereby suction of the foot is increased to permitof the suction foot operating upon a heavier grade, of paper,"

Figure '9 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the primaryfilleifb'loCk in place still further increasingythe suction, and

Figure 10' is a view-similarwto Figure '8 showing both "the primary andsecondary filler blocks in place, the sucker foot as here shown beingadapted for operation on a very heavy gradeof paper or cardboard.

PATENT Q.

The pneumatic or suction feet embodying the essential feature of theinvention are preferably arranged i-n a's'e'ries consisting of theintermediate foot 10' and the terminal or side feet 11 carried by the sparator bar 12 which is of conventional form and is movable toward andfrom the pile purpose of raising the topmost sheet to be carried by-"thefeed frame 14 into position on the platen '15, and

in" the usual practice withea'ch suction foot there is connected. asuction tube 16 for crjeating suction at. the under of operative faceofythefoot, through ings 17in the'foot. V V In the construction of footherein disclosed the face is provided with a plurality of parallelshallowiflat faced ribs l8fispaced apart and arranged "preferablyinparallelone or more openism, as indicated, upon opposite sides "of The vthe suction 0 pening 17 in the foot.

employment of the ribs obviously provide 'air passages 21 bet-ween'th'ebottom of the feet and the surface 'ofthe sheet of paper upon which theyrest. These passages permit a sufficient amount of air'to pass aboive Ithe sheet into the openings 17 to prevent the full force of the suctionapplied through the tubes 16 being applied to the paper upon which thefeet rest. v

In addition it is proposed to provide in the suction tubes inletorifices or vents 23 which still further break the suction.

As a means of further reducing the suction applied to the suction feetthin strips or webs of paper or the like are, as shown in Figures 4 and6, detachably secured in position to bridge the air spaces 21, and theyare secured to the ribs 18 by paste or the like. The webs 20 serve tospace the ribs 18 from the surface of the sheet which is being acted on,and in view thereof and when the orifices or vents 23 are open air willpass into the tubes through the oriwfices or vents, and between thebottoms of web 20 to the side Figure 9 the amount of air that may theopenings 17 over the sheet. of paper is still further out off and thestress oro force the feet and the surface of the sheet and over thebridges 20 into the openings 17.

When the sucker feet are equipped as last .stated'and as illustrated inFigures 4: and 6,

they are adapted for operation on the very thinnest type of paper, suchas tissue. It is to be understood that the showing in Figure 1 of theapplication of the bridging feet is also illustrative of the manner inwhich the same isto be applied to the center sucker foot.

When a heavier or second grade of paper is to be handled, the suctionmay be increased by removing the webs 20 to provide the structurepreviously described and illustrated in Figure 7.

To adapt the feet third or still heavier grade of'paper, it is butnecessary to plug or stop the orifices or vents 23 and omit the webs 20,as shown in Figure 8.

Filler blocks 26 and 27 to which reference hereinafter will be made asprimary and secondary filler blocks areadapted to be positioned in thetop walls-of theair passages 21 of the suction feetand are adapted to berespectively arranged in rear and in front .of the suction openings 17,as illustrated in Figures 9 andlO of the drawings. Nhen the fillerblocks 26 are in place, as shown in enter of the suction is therebyincreased upon the paper sheet, and. the device is therefore adapted foroperation upon the fourth grade or still heavier grade of paper whichowing to its thickness and weight requires a greater amount of suctionin order that iti may be lifted effectively to be engaged by thegrippers of thefeed frame. To still further increase the suction or theeffect of the suction so as to adapt the feet for oper ating on a psecondary filler blocks 27 are arranged in place as shown in Figure 10,thereby entirely cutting off the inlet of air to the openfor thehandling of a stillheavier grade of paper the ing 17 over the sheet, andas the result permitting the full force of the suction to be 7 liftingmore than one sheet of paper at a time, should the paper be of such anature as to permit the suction being effected through the top sheet onto the next sheet. In operation, when suction is applied to the paperthrough the suction opening or openings in the suction feet, the topsheet of paper of the pile will have a portion thereof drawn into airspace will be provided between the top and second sheets of paper whichwill break the partial vacuum created between the first and secondsheets and release the second sheet from the suction of the foot. It isto be noted that the depression entirely surrounds the. suction openingin the foot and will thereby obviate any possibility of the suctionbeing effective on more than one sheet of paper.

Heretofore, in the employment of sucker feetit has been the. practice touse three sets of feet for different thicknesses and weights of paperand in addition to the employment of the three sets of .feet, there hasbeen provided a valve mechanism to regulate the stress of suctionapplied through the feet. The use of my invention obviates the necessityfor the three sets of feet and the pressure regulating valve mechanism.With a foot of the type herein set forth it is possible without anymanipulation of valve application of. the feet when it is desired tochange the grade of paper. In addition to the above differentpermutations of the attachable elements may be Worked: out to providefor a very fine adjustment of the suction applied through the suckerfeet.-

Having thus described the invention,

what I claim as new is V 1. A 2 sheet separatmg and gripping mechanismfor printing presses having suction feet having suction openings andconnected suction tubes provided with vents for modifying the force ofthe suction and means for obstructing said vents.

the depressions 28 and thus an 2. A. suction foot for the purposeindicated having a suction opening and spaced ribs forming a channel incommunication with the suction opening and means for obstructing saidchannel.

3. A suction foot for the purpose indicated having asuction opening andparallel projecting ribs defining a channel in communication with thesuction opening and spanned by a flexible web.

4. A suction foot for the purpose inclicated having a suction openingand its face provided with spaced'ribs defining channels incommunication with the suction opening, and primary and secondary fillerblocks for arrangement in obstructing relation With said channels.

5. A suction foothaving a suction opening and spaced ribs formingchannels in communication with the suction opening.

6. A suction foot having a suction opening and spaced fiat faced ribsforming a channel in communication with the suction opening.

7. A suction foot having a suction opening and parallel projecting ribsdefining a channel in communication with the suction opening, and abridging web adapted to span said ribs.

8. A suction foot for the purpose indicated having a suction opening andparallel projecting ribs defining a channel in communication with thesuction opening and a bridging web adapted to span said ribs atone sideof the suction opening.

9. A suction foot for the purpose indicated having a suction opening andparallel projecting ribs defining achannel in communication with thesuction opening, a "ridging web adapted to span said pro ecting ribs,and filler blocks adapted to be arranged in'said channel at oppositesides of the suction opening.

10. A suction foot for the purpose indi-' cated having a suction openingand parallel projecting ribs defining a channel in communication withthe suction opening, and primary and secondary filler blocks adapted tobe arranged at opposite sides of said opening in obstructing relationwith said channel.

11. A suction foot having a suction opening, means to modify the forceof the suction through the opening, and means bridging the firstmentioned means and attachable thereto to further modify the force ofthe suction.

12. A suction foot having a suction opening, means integral with theface of-the foot to modify the force of suction through the opening, andother means bridgin the first mentioned means and attachable t ereto tofurthermodify the force of the suction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

AUGUST BUNGER.

Witnesses:

J OHN P. VORRATH, ANDREW O. VORRATH.

